Speaker Tillis Earns Guardian of Small Business Award

Date: May 28, 2014

Speaker Thom Tillis (left) receives the Guardian of Small Business Award from NFIB/North Carolina State Director Gregg Thompson.

The North Carolina office of National Federation of Independent Business, the state's leading small-business association, has presented its coveted Guardian of Small Business Award to House Speaker Thom Tillis.

The Guardian of Small Business award is the most prestigious honor that NFIB bestows on legislators in recognition of their efforts to support small business issues. The NFIB/North Carolina Leadership Council, an advisory board comprised of NFIB members, voted to present the award to Tillis for supporting small-business issues in the Legislature.

Speaker Tillis has been a steadfast defender of North Carolina’s small businesses, said Gregg Thompson, state director of NFIB/North Carolina.

“Speaker Tillis has repeatedly shown that he understands the challenges facing our members," Thompson said. "Before he was even elected, when he was just another candidate in the 2006 primary, Thom Tillis asked to sit down and talk about the issues affecting small business. He wasn't asking for an endorsement. He simply wanted to educate himself and learn more about the issues.

"Since then, he has shown us time and again that he gets it," Thompson said. "He understands the need for legal reform, tax reform and sensible regulations, and he's worked hard to level the playing field so our members can compete and grow and create the jobs our state desperately needs.

“On behalf of all small businesses in North Carolina, NFIB would like to thank Speaker Tillis for his hard work and dedication to our state’s entrepreneurs,” Thompson said.

NFIB has over 8,000 dues-paying members in North Carolina representing a cross section of the state’s economy.